


Two boys, one studio apartment, a whole lot of nonsense and also a pandemic

by Mushiiee



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Animal Crossing - Freeform, Coronavirus! AU, Forced Proximity, Friends to Lovers, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Implied norenmin, I’m sorry, M/M, Renjun is absolutely Done, literally a mess, many mentions of butts, pillow fort, soft and confusing, there’s no actual plot just mess and fluff, they bake at one point
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-16
Updated: 2020-04-16
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:41:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,803
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23676313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mushiiee/pseuds/Mushiiee
Summary: As promised, and by popular request, Markhyuck Friends to lovers AU, but also coronavirus! AU because i am the most basic of bitches and had literally zero other ideas. I hope you enjoy it or at the very least don’t hate it!
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee
Comments: 5
Kudos: 121





	Two boys, one studio apartment, a whole lot of nonsense and also a pandemic

**Author's Note:**

> This was a gift for my friend’s bday! I love her a lot! There used to be a super cheesy letter here, but now there is not!
> 
> English is not my first language so nothing too fancy or well-written, it was just fun to do this for the first time!
> 
> WARNING: author does not take responsibility for possible braincell loss or psychological damage that could be caused by reading this work, proceed with caution and at your own risk. I am not claiming this to be any good.

As it turns out, it is not a very bright idea to invite your best friend over in the middle of a global pandemic. Much less when a quarantine situation has been predicted and highly recommended by medical professionals. But hey, who ever claimed Mark Lee was a clever man by any means? He had even forgotten to pack his fucking toothbrush the day he moved from his parents’ house. So that brings us to the present, inside his tiny apartment designed for one person, only it was currently inhabited by two.   
  


The day Mark decided to have an impromptu sleepover with Donghyuck turned out to be the same day the government announced that everyone should be social-distancing and quarantining for an indefinite amount of time until the situation was resolved, and subsequently the same day their college evacuated and closed off the student dorms. Thankfully, safety was not a major concern in their current situation, as they had not been anywhere outside of campus in the past three weeks or so and rarely left their respective dwellings except to hang out with each other and their friends. What _was_ a major concern, however, was the fact that now Donghyuck was virtually stuck in Mark’s apartment for an indefinite amount of time with a limited amount of resources and space. Mark had seen this coming and had stocked up on food and toilet paper before all the Karens in their area began hoarding as if it were the apocalypse, but he had not expected the quarantine to be announced so soon, much less that he would have company.

In hindsight, it would probably be nice to have someone to spend long days of self isolation with. Except, well, shit happened and it was _Donghyuck_ whom he was stuck with.

“Nice job, moron, now we’re both stuck in your tiny ass apartment for fuck knows how long.” Donghyuck so kindly reminded him, as if he had not been stressing about that same fact for the past ten minutes.

“Shut up,” Mark groaned, annoyed already. God, this was going to be a long quarantine, “I did not force you to come! Also, my apartment is bigger than your dorm anyway, there’s plenty of space here!” 

“And how many beds are there?”

“...oh...shit.” 

“There it is,” Hyuck retorted, “the one fault in your perfect plan. _And there was only one bed_. What the fuck, are we in some sort of romcom or something? What a shitty zombie movie.”

“Oh for sure, just weeks on end of your irritating ass whining and me having to cope with it all,” lamented Mark, rubbing his temples and already regretting not having kicked his best friend out sooner.

“I don’t whine, I _complain,_ I _criticize,_ there’s a huge difference.” Donghyuck sat up in the couch where he had been laying on Mark’s lap and wrapped his arms around the boy’s torso, “And besides, won’t it be nice to have such good company in these troubling times? Think about it, we could cuddle, play some games, study together, I could even cook for you so you don’t have to keep eating your own disgusting food! _We could bake cookies together_. It will be fine.”

Except it wouldn’t be. You see, about a week prior, Mark had realized something of great importance, something that had changed his entire worldview and made him question his very sanity. 

He had been talking to Renjun on the phone, as one does when they need a distraction from earthly matters, discussing something disgustingly endearing Jaemin and Jeno had done for him, when the fact struck him like a slap in the face. He had yet to come to terms with it, but the fact remained that, after almost twelve years of knowing him, Mark had realized that he was _attracted to Donghyuck_. (Renjun had mocked him for being a slow bastard)

His best friend. The one who made fun of him, and the one he made fun of in return. The same boy who once broke his leg from dancing too hard to girl group choreos, the very same boy who had dyed his hair an obnoxious fire-engine red sophomore year of high school and had somehow absolutely rocked it, the guy who _didn’t like pizza,_ for fuck’s sake. He was attracted to _that_ and he didn’t know what to do with himself. 

Don’t get him wrong, it wasn’t like he had a crush or anything. It was more like a pique of interest, a sudden pull towards the other boy, a need to stare at him for a little longer and appreciate the beautiful moles forming ursa major on his face, to listen to him for longer and play his guitar to the tune of his voice. He wouldn’t exactly say he wanted to kiss Donghyuck or make him his boyfriend, but he certainly wanted _something_ , wanted to be inexplicably closer to him all the time.

In short he was kind of fucked, some would even say a little bit whipped.

“Sure, it’ll be fine, whatever” he said with a small pout, trying not to panic. 

At that, Hyuck lowered his gaze, looking a bit sheepish, “Listen, if me staying here really makes you uncomfortable I can just go back home with my parents, it’s no big deal, seriously.”

His head snapped up at that “Dude what? Fuck no, your parents live in Jeju, that’s like a whole hour by plane. Hell no, you’re grabbing your stuff from your dorm and coming back here with me, no questions,” Mark said almost angrily. He couldn’t bear the idea of Hyuck getting on a plane for hours to get to his parents in the midst of a pandemic, no sir, “and hey, you may be a pain in the ass, but you’re a pain in _my_ ass, you know?”

Hyuck’s eyes glinted for a moment, almost like he wanted to say something, but in a second the sparkle vanished and he let out a tiny smirk instead, “Ok, you get to keep me then. I’ll go get my stuff and then we can start the best quarantine party of your goddamn life, I can guarantee you are going to have so much fun.”

. . . 

While Donghyuck was getting what he needed from his dorm and grabbing extra supplies from the store, Mark took the liberty of organizing a little bit to clear his mind. And when that didn’t help he decided to text Renjun, who somehow always seemed to know how to handle ridiculous situations. 

After getting text-yelled at for being an emotionally constipated dumbass for approximately five minutes he came to the conclusion that he should not be a “weak ass bitch” (Renjun’s words, not his) and just act normally. After all, “if it’s not a crush then you have nothing to be nervous about, right?” And Renjun was right, why had he been panicking in the first place? It was not like he was going to lose it and make out with his best friend three days into isolation, he had, like, two whole functioning braincells and he could see that was not a wise idea.

“Hey honey, I’m home! Be a dear and open the door, will you?” rang Donghyuck’s overly sweet voice from outside. He put his phone down and went to let him in, rolling his eyes at the overdramatic boy on the other side of the doorway.

“Thanks, darling. Oh! I brought some incredibly unhealthy snacks for tonight, and that fucking disgusting beer you like so much.”

“At least I'm not a cheap ass wine aunt, asshole,” see? He could be normal, just regular, everyday Mark bickering with good ol’ Donghyuck, putting groceries away before continuing with their plans for the night and watching Ghibli movies on Netflix while eating an obscene amount of doritos and sweets. 

They sat on the couch, covered by a blanket as the beautiful animation of Totoro began playing on the screen, and it was fine, really, they had done this a million and one times, he was used to the closeness. And if he cuddled up to his friend a tiny bit more than usual, the other either didn't notice or kept his thoughts to himself. Mark was kind of disgusted at his own cheesiness for a second there, but he decided to grow a pair and embrace the softness like a man.

Many movies, hours of cuddles and a couple pints of ice cream later, they were both yawning sleepily, tired from lazing around all day and comforted by the warmth. It was time to go to bed. Sweet lord, have mercy on poor Markie's soul. 

“So umm… I take the couch and you sleep on the bed, then?” Mark asked, like a good host.

“I refuse to let you sleep on the couch in your own house, dumbass, and if you won't let me either then we can both sleep on the bed, how's that sound? ” and holy _shit._ He knew Donghyuck was confident and often initiated skinship, but this was a whole different level of forwardness. He attributed it to his friend's sleepiness, he was pretty tired too honestly.

He found himself facing the biggest dilemma he had ever encountered; if he let his best friend sleep on the couch he wouldn't be able to fall asleep himself, thinking about how much his mother would scold him if she found out and how uncomfortable the other boy must be, but if he chose to share a bed with him there was a good chance he would have a restless night, panicking about their proximity. 

_Wait a minute,_ he thought, _I don’_ _t have a crush on him, and we were cuddling on the couch just now, so why the hell would I panic?_ Great reasoning, Mark Lee, you sure are a genius. To hell with that music production degree, they should give you a doctorate in philosophy for that top tier logic.

“Brush your teeth and get your ass to bed then, I'm sleepy.”

Donghyuck beamed and did as he was told. 

That night Mark slept very well, the additional warmth by his side making his bed even cozier. He was, however, very perplexed at the absence of another set of limbs tangling with his own, as that night Donghyuck didn't cuddle into him at all.

. . . 

It was not until the third night, in fact, when Hyuck so much as came close to him on the bed, hugging him from the back and making him little spoon. It felt nice, although Mark had expected his tiny, bratty friend to favor cuddling the other way around. He was not complaining.

That night he slept even better, dreamt of a field of sunflowers and tiny fawns playing happily.

He woke up to an empty bed though, and wondered if it had all been a dream.

. . . 

After four mindless days of playing Animal Crossing, half-assing assignments and eating all the microwaveable meals they had, it was actually Mark who broke first, the need to move his body overwhelming him.

“Dude, do you want to come down to the gym with me for a while? Nobody ever goes there but me and I literally can't keep sitting around or i'll lose my fucking marbles” he asked while Hyuck was busy fishing eggs and grumbling in frustration.

“You even have any marbles to lose?” Donghyuck snickered quietly, earning him a subtle eyeroll from the other, “but no thank you, I'm not a psychopathic gym rat like you and Jeno, I enjoy my leisure time resting properly”

“Hey, if anyone is going to be labeled a gym rat it's going to be Johnny, Jaehyun and Yuta hyung. But sure, suit yourself.”

“Actually, now that i’ve been rudely interrupted i think you might be right,” he said, stretching his back and putting the Switch down, “I should get up from this chair, but I'm still not going to a damn gym with you, even if it's only downstairs. My will to move around has its limits,” he called just as Mark was unlocking the door, “mind if I push some furniture around to do like... yoga or some shit?”

“Nah, it's fine. We could build a pillow fort when I get back!”

As he closed the door he heard a faint “you truly are a whole ass child.” He giggled.

. . .

Sweaty, exhausted and feeling a bit more like a person, he made his way back upstairs already thinking about that pillow fort, it was going to be so fun! He hadn't built one since middle school and these days he missed being a little kid and getting to play around all day. With a smile on his face he opened the door only to close it right back as softly as he could. 

There in his living room was one Lee Donghyuck, in the middle of what he presumed was a yoga routine, true to his word, performing a perfect downward dog pose. Wearing the tightest pair of biking shorts he had ever seen in his _life_. The _thing_ in his stomach fluttered and his flight response kicked right in. He had never seen Hyuck working out, but he must do something because an ass like that does not come easy (he should know, he had witnessed his brother working to achieve any semblance of a butt since Taeyong was in high school, to no avail.) 

_Wait, you’ve seen his butt before, why are you even feeling like this right now?_ He asked himself. _Uh, because you are a disaster bisexual and it’s objectively an nice butt,_ his brain so helpfully replied. _Just shut up!_ Yeah, internal monologue was not helping

He decided to wait a bit and collect himself, at least until his friend could change into a less compromising pose, before entering with bright red cheeks and clammy hands. _Well, at least if he asks I can tell him it’_ _s from the gym._ He found Hyuck sprawled on the floor, panting and looking almost as sweaty as Mark himself. He laughed, partly out of nervousness and partly from the actual humor in the situation. 

Mark tossed him a bottle of cold water. “Thank you, holy shit,” Donghyuck replied just before swallowing it in one gulp under five seconds, which did _something_ to Mark's insides. “I think I'll- join you next time- oh my god who knew- yoga could be so hard- ow!- fucking Susan and her fucking balance poses. I'm flexible enough- but goddamn,” he cursed in between breaths.

“Haha, yeah, fucking Susan,” Mark replied, even more flushed and nervous, trying his hardest not to think of flexible limbs. “Listen, I'm going to take a shower, do NOT get started on that fort without me, you hear me?”

“Ok, baby, I'll wait for you,” and was Donghyuck trying to annihilate him? He practically sprinted to the shower and locked the door. It was a long time before he came out.

. . .

Once the fort was built (not without a few very professional architectural debates over which blanket would make a better roof or which plushies to put inside “ _all of them, you monster”_ ) they found themselves nestled between piles of pillows and cushions, buried beneath soft sheets. Mark was very happy. Hugging his plushies and sharing a pillow fort with his best friend made him feel so free and excited! He wanted to laugh and scream and he actually felt like eating some cookies right now. Good thing he had a culinary arts major right beside him, hell yeah. 

“Hey Hyuckie do you wanna like-” and oh, how he regretted turning around at that moment. He was faced with a grumpy Hyuck, frowning at a toy lion and trying to pat his hair into order. His very fluffy, dishevelled, soft-looking hair. Donghyuck honestly looked like a mess and Mark had never been more endeared by him. 

He definitely had some things to discuss with Renjun later.

“Do I wanna what, sorry?”

“Uh, bake… bake cookies with… with me,” yeah, his cheeks were red now.

“FUCK YEAH, LET’S BAKE SOME GOOD ASS COOKIES.” And just like that, his friend screamed and the moment was over, now he just looked like a crazy person. By no means less cute tho.

. . . 

They were in the kitchen, dancing and waiting for the cookies to bake, when it happened. It was innocent enough at first, just guys being dudes, even five feet apart, dancing to Red Flavor while the older did his terrible impression of the BGM. They were perhaps a little tipsy from cheap alcohol, and it was once again late into the night.

Then Bite started playing and Mark felt a chill run through his body as he stared at his friend. Under the kitchen lights, he still looked like dynamite. _Wait, fuck, no, that’s from another song, uhhhh._

Well, to be honest, Donghyuck did remind him of many more Troye Sivan songs. How he always tasted like strawberries from his chapstick, how he wanted to hold hands with him right now, how he was sickeningly sweet like honey ~~don’t need money~~ , how he always made him feel at ease.

So, it happened in a kitchen at almost two in the morning, just as Donghyuck hummed along to lyrics he couldn't quite understand, _but Mark could._ At that moment, thinking about Troye Sivan songs, he realized he was not attracted to him, didn't have a crush on Donghyuck at all.

He was in _love,_ mother of fuck, and it had taken him all too long to figure out.

“Hey, Duckie,” and when the other smiling boy turned around, he decided that everything was going to be ok as long as he had him by his side, “ _tell me all the ways to love you,”_

The oven timer went off and Hyuck jumped a bit, turning back to get the cookies out. Mark waited patiently until he was done, smiling like a fool and hoping the other had understood exactly what he meant. 

It had been an impulse thing, really, and he was sleepy and tipsy and giddy with childlike excitement. But he had still meant it. And If Hyuck didn’t feel the same, well, he just had to answer and Mark would understand.

Donghyuck came closer and took his hand softly, like he was a delicate and precious thing. His heart soared and his cheeks hurt. When they looked at each other it felt warm, like coming home. _He’s home_ , Mark realized. He hoped to be a home for Donghyuck one day too. 

“Well, Canada, I’m by no means fluent in english but I think I got this one right, let me see,” he paused to think for a moment, teasingly, “you could let me stay in your cramped apartment because you’re worried about my safety, for a start. You could also let me sleep in your bed even when you’re not that comfortable with skinship. You could make a pillow fort with me and watch cheesy movies all night long. You could remember how much I like to bake and help me even if you are a total mess in the kitchen. You could wake up everyday with a smile and the cutest cheeks and the most perfect hair, and look at me with the most precious eyes. You could quote Troye Sivan for me,” he giggled and blushed, looked down at their hands.

Mark pulled him closer and kissed his forehead softly before looking him in the eyes again. “Will that be enough?” 

“More than enough. Just be there every day and let me love you too.”

. . .

They slept face to face that night, with their limbs effectively tangled and Hyuck’s face in Mark’s neck. They woke up together and smiled at each other like lovesick teenagers. Then suddenly, Donghyuck opened his eyes really wide and let out a tiny gasp.

“Ok, I’m gonna need you to stay put and don’t question anything until I say you can leave.”

Mark shrugged as his… friend? Boyfriend? _His sunshine boy_ got up and ran to the kitchen. “Just please don’t do anything that could cost me my security deposit!”

. . . 

  
  


He ended up playing Animal Crossing for an hour and a half, truly invested in the cute and tiny life of his character. A fluffy puff of hair poked inside his room just as he was about to catch a tarantula.

“You can come out now!”

And when he stepped into the kitchen he almost melted into a puddle.

“You made all of this? What am I asking, we’re literally quarantined, of course you made this. But holy fuck, you made this.”

“Yeah I did, I’m pretty amazing.”

He sure was. Mark was standing in front of the biggest array of breakfast foods he had ever seen outside a hotel buffet. There was rice, eggs, soup and kimchi. But there were also waffles with beautiful whipped cream, pancakes with chopped fruit and maple syrup, toast, jam, it was practically a banquet. 

“Dude how are we going to eat all of this?”

“Not gonna lie, we’re probably going to have to save some of it for later. But I had promised to cook you proper food and I didn’t know what you were craving, so I made different types of breakfast so you could choose.” Mark’s heart did a little backflip.

He hugged his sunshine, picked him up and spun him around a bit while the other squealed. “Put me down, you brute!” So Mark did, and all but ran towards the table.

“I have one more thing,” Donghyck said, retrieving something from the fridge, “here you go! I saw you eyeing it, and I thought it looked fun but I don’t like coffee, so I made it for you!”

And if Mark wasn’t close to tears before, he definitely was now. _Dalgona coffee with a cute powdered sugar heart on top_. _Why is he the cutest thing in the face of this green earth, and what did I do in my past life to deserve such an honor_. He might have let a solitary tear roll down his cheek.

“Stop looking at it like it’s your firstborn, Minhyung, it’s a fucking cup of coffee. Come eat, I’m starving.”

He sat down besides Hyuckie, “Sorry, it’s just… it’s so beautiful and you’re so cute, thank you.” He sniffled and smiled fondly.

“You’re very welcome, and you’re absolutely adorable too. Now dig in, I’m actually very hungry.

. . .

Another week spent bullshitting papers, stressing over fake news and laughing way too hard at stupid memes, another seven days of them cuddling and cooking (Donghyuck cooked, Mark watched and cooed) together, having dance battles in the middle of the night and setting new Wii Sports records.

That day they got a call from Jeno, which was unusual as he normally stuck to texting. Nevertheless they picked up, and came to see the boy sitting on a couch with one boyfriend on each side.

“Wow, Mark, you didn’t tell me you had adopted a snake, those are dangerous, you know?” And of course Renjun spoke first.

“Oh shit, Jaemin, I think there’s a huge ass rat sitting next to your boyfriend, you may want to call the exterminator once this is over,” there went Donghyuck, provoking the tiny devil on the other side of the screen.

“Good afternoon, hyung,” Jaemin, bless his soul, interjected before things could get heated. “We called to see how you were doing, if you had killed each other yet.”

“Actually no, Duckie has been less of an asshole than I expected actually,” smiled Mark while taking said boy’s hand and rubbing his thumb over his knuckles lovingly. 

Upon seeing this the trio gasped, creepily in sync. 

“No fucking way dude,” came Jeno’s response first, “YOU COULDN’T HAVE WAITED ONE MORE WEEK, NOW I OWE NANA A BAG OF MARSHMALLOWS.” 

“Hold on, hold on, you have the balls to write to me about your little existential crisis at the beginning of the month, but you don’t even think about updating me on this development? This is homophobia, you, sir, are homophobic. I don’t know a Mark Lee.” Renjun pouted and Jaemin cooed.

“So, when did Hyuck ask you, Markie?” Jaemin inquired way too cheekily, and Donghyuck flushed. “Did you guys have a fight and then realized you couldn’t live without each other? Did he sing you a song? Did he break and ask you the first night? Did you have a huge misunderstanding, because you are both emotionally constipated idiots and never talk about your feelings, spent two awkward days around each other until he caved and asked you with a huge red velvet cake in the shape of a heart?”

“Hold on, ask me what?” Mark was genuinely confused.

“To be his boyfriend, dimwit,” Renjun seemed actually pissed.

“Oh… actually he didn’t ask me.”

“Oh? Was Mark the brave one for once, Hyuck?” Jeno asked like he truly couldn’t believe it.

“I mean, he was brave, but he didn’t ask me either. We haven’t even actually talked about it, whatever _it_ is.” 

“Oh, that’s right! I knew something had slipped my mind,” the older replied, a tiny bit sheepish. 

“Oh my god you are ACTUALLY STUPID. We're hanging up right now and you two are going to talk about you relationship and be super cute and cheesy afterwards, I’m sick of this bullshit,” Renjun was genuinely frowning, “I want actual updates this time, Mark Lee, and ask Hyuckie like he deserves to be asked, don’t be mediocre.”

“Bye hung!” Jeno called

“Hang in there, Hyuckie!” Came Jaemin’s voice

And then silence.

They turned to look at each other.

“So… umm, should we talk about it?” Mark spoke first.

“Well, I really like you, I think that’s pretty clear. I have liked you for a while and I knew you liked me too, I was just waiting for you to realize and do something about it, I didn’t want to push you since I know you have your boundaries with this kind of things,” Donghyuck said sweetly, with a pretty pink tinge to his cheeks. 

“I realized I was attracted to you like a month ago, but the cookie night was when I actually recognized that I’m kind of in love with you. With your beautiful skin and your pretty moles, your soft hair and even softer lips, with your cheeks and your legs and your shiny eyes. With your laugh that is so loud and melodic that it even stuck to me, your corny jokes, your teasing and flirting, the way your voice sounds in the morning and when you sing, your perfect sense of style even when you’re lazing around, how you care so much for others and the way you bring comfort to me every time you touch me. God, Duckie, every single perfect part of you, I’m kind of in love with all of you. I’m sorry it took me so long to see it, and thank you for waiting for me, that’s the sweetest thing ever. Also, please be my boyfriend?” Mark said almost breathlessly, which earned him a nod and a soft smile from his favorite boy. 

“Minhyungie, can I please kiss you on the mouth?”

“All the times you want, honey boy.”

The kiss was soft and sweet, Donghyuck’s hands on Mark’s jaw, and Mark’s hands on the other’s waist. They danced slowly around each other, with the warmth of two souls that were made to be with one another and the certainty of two people who knew they would be together for a very long time, not only because of the quarantine. They parted for a second to see each other smile dreamily, before joining their lips once again, with more intensity and heat now, a little more desire, this time they were two boys who just wanted to be as close as possible after so long being together but apart.

When they were satisfied and a little out of breath, they parted and sighed, leaning against each other’s forehead. 

“Actually there’s something else tho,” Donghyuck called Mark’s attention. “There’s this one thing you said the first day, that I’m a pain in the ass?”

Mark panicked and stood up, thinking he had hurt the boy in his arms, “oh, that was just a joke, I’m sorry if I went too far I didn’t me-“ Donghyck stood up as well and held his hands delicately.

“No, let me finish, I’ve been wanting to say this since that day.” Mark closed his mouth and gulped as his now-boyfriend took a sharp inhale. “If I’m a pain in the ass,” Donghyuck smirked, “I’m glad I get to be a pain in this ass, _hot damn!_ ” 

Mark yelped as he felt a harsh slap to his butt.

**Author's Note:**

> Phew! That was way fucking longer than i was expecting, and harder, too. 
> 
> [i was going to delete this but ppl actually read it and i hate when i can’t find works that i liked so i’m just gonna leave this here and disappear forever~]


End file.
